December 13, 2018

Argos’ Ray wrestling with retirement decision

Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca

TORONTO — There is still one more major appointment on the horizon but Ricky Ray isn’t sure if it will alter his thoughts on whether or not he will call the 2018 season his last.

Ray spoke to Mike Hogan of Argonauts.ca on Thursday and opened up about his health, his recovery and how he is currently wrestling with retirement talk.

“Ever since the injury I figured this was it for me,” Ray admitted to Argonauts.ca. “My body was telling me something, between the shoulder injury and the neck. Mentally I can handle it, physically I don’t know if I’m up for it. Winning the Grey Cup, the season we had was one of the most enjoyable seasons of my career, that’s one of the reasons I came back, but this time has been tough with the injuries.”


» Ray talks retirement and tough summer: Read Mike Hogan’s full interview with Ricky Ray.


Ray was injured in the second game of the season when he was sandwiched between two Calgary Stampeders defenders, sustaining a serious neck injury on the play that required him to be taken off the field on a stretcher. Later in the season he was spotted with a neck brace, which has since been removed as his recovery continues.

Ray continues to rehab and feels no physical discomfort from the injury but whether or not he will receive clearance from his doctors to play is one thing and whether he desires to put his body through another season is another.

“I’m good,” said Ray. “I’ve recovered for the most part. I have one more checkup at the end of the month, but nothing is bothering me at all. Everything is fine, it’s normal. Every once in a while I feel a little something in there, but it’s very mild.”

“At the end of the month I have a six-month checkup and another x-ray,” he explained. “We just have to make sure all the vertebrae are lined up right. If I decide I wanted to return to a contact sport like football I would have to get more imaging done.”

With 60,736 passing yards, Ray is the fourth on the all-time leading passer list. He won his fourth Grey Cup as a starting quarterback last year, setting a CFL record, before suffering the heart-stopping injury in the second game of the season. Ray had to be removed on a stretcher while the game was delayed roughly half an hour.

The Argos struggled in Ray’s absence, winning just four games. James Franklin and McLeod Bethel-Thompson split quarterback duties in Ray’s absence, and while both flashed some potential, their inexperience played at least some part in a losing campaign.